January 7: “How Happy Are You Right Now?”

“Perhaps if one really knew when one was happy one would know the things that were necessary for one’s life.” Joanna Field

Do you know what makes you genuinely happy? There are so many things, aren’t there? A tender moment with my husband. Snuggling with any one of my grandsons. A phone call from my grown sons. Hearing a great song. Reading a great book. Playing music and singing. Writing, painting, cooking. My dog. The smell of the air when we drive over the causeway to Lido Beach. The sound of the waves.

I could go on and on, but do you notice the one thing in common among all of these things that make me happy? They’re all free! In fact, on the top of my “happy list” would be every time I reach out and help someone else. I cannot begin to describe the lift in my spirit and joy in my heart that comes from helping another living being, or just making them smile. We put so much time and energy into the acquisition of things, working in jobs that make us unhappy so that we can have a bigger house, a nicer car, more spending power … and for what? None of those things are on my happy list!

How liberating! If you know what truly makes you happy, then you can make decisions in your life accordingly. It’s kind of like a corporation with a vision and a mission statement. Once these things are defined, the answer to every decision you need to make is obvious.

Time is precious. We only have 24 hours in a day, and none of us knows how many of those days we will have. Do you want to waste any of them doing anything that doesn’t promote your happy list? Obviously we have to work to pay our bills, but your happy list will define what is important to you beyond a roof over your head and food on the table, and you can choose your profession accordingly.

Make your list and reflect on how that impacts how you live your life and the choices you make. You are sure to have some aha moments, and I hope you will share them with us here!